The Online Dating Sleaze Detector: Arrested

April 5th, 2011

Lying to a grand jury would not normally be called sleazy, something more like just plain stupid considering the consequences that in all likelihood will follow.  Most people would agree, however, that a married man messing with the dancers in a strip club is just plain sleazy.  Certainly, John Kenneth Arnold’s wife would agree.  After all, he was arrested on related charges.

Arnold is a cofounder of Intelius, an online provider of background checks.  Susan Kohler, chief marketing officer at Intelius, claimed that the company had just heard of the charges that morning and had no further comment other than that Arnold remained an employee at the company.  Cofounder Naveen Jain, commented from Los Angeles that he was shocked by the news, “It is extremely saddening to me because he is a really good guy.”  He says he also knew nothing of the charges prior to Thursday.

The charges stem from testimony Arnold gave before a grand jury in an investigation of Frank Colacurcio Sr, the owner of the strip club “Rick’s” where the incident took place.  Arnold is alleged to have lied when he denied engaging in certain lascivious acts with dancers at the club.  Considering that the investigation on Colacurcio included hidden cameras, ouch.

Ironically, last September Arnold was promoting an iPhone application from Intelius called “Date Check”.  This app includes a feature called “Sleaze Detector” that warns of any criminal history on a potential date.  In Arnold’s words, “Letting a stranger into your life is a huge risk, and in the age of Internet anonymity, a simple online search isn’t enough to tell you everything you need to know.”

Maybe now his wife is wishing that service had been around when she started dating him.

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Criminal Background Check Results in Cold Case Being Solved

April 3rd, 2011

On Wednesday, in Rahway New Jersey, a criminal background check resulted in the arrest of a man wanted in a cold hit and run case.  Jeffrey Adams left the scene of an accident two years ago that sent four people to the hospital, and one of them, an elderly woman from Jersey City, to her grave.  Police say he was speeding on Grand Street in Jersey City at 2:45 AM when he struck the car in the oncoming lane.  Since that would have been early on a Sunday morning, it is easy to imagine that Adams was sloshed from a long Saturday evening.  Adams paid a visit to the same hospital shortly after the accident, from which police obtained his name and address.  Unfortunately for them, it was not a valid address (which quite likely resulted in the hospital getting stiffed as well).  The case eventually went cold as police were unable to track Adams down.

New Jersey state law requires a criminal background check for a gun permit, which is processed through the state police.  When Adams attempted to buy a rifle at New Jersey Firearms Guild, a gun shop, the police were alerted when his background check turned up the outstanding warrant.

The shop owner, Art Burtiss, didn’t notice anything unusual about this particular customer.  Adams made his down payment, and when his background check took longer than normal, left the shop since it was near closing time.  Burtiss said, “We didn’t notice anything unusual about him. It was taking a long time, so he left.”  When Adams’s gun permit was rejected, he came back in for a refund on his payment.  Burtiss stated, “We never know why someone’s background gets rejected, and the police did not tell us what was going on.”

When Adams arrived home on Tuesday, Essex County Sheriff’s department officers were waiting to apprehend him.  Hudson county prosecutor Edward DeFazio wasn’t certain whether Adams was even aware of the charges against him.

 

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Neglecting Criminal Records Searches Might Cost You Dearly

April 1st, 2011

Skimping on a criminal records search will make you pay!

Recently, in a case in Naples FL, police arrested the building manager of a high-rise on theft charges.  In all, an estimated $11,090 worth of jewelry and electronics, along with prescription pain killers and “a large amount of cleaning supplies” were stolen.  Some of the stolen goods were recovered from the residence of the building manager.  Police are still investigating whether other thefts are also linked to this case.

The suspect, Robert Adamczewski, was hired 3 years ago.  The president of the condo association that hired Adamczewski claims he did a criminal records search that “came back showing no criminal history.”  He says, “We were shocked. We had put a lot of trust and faith in our manager. It was really unfortunate because a lot of people have trusted him. They like Bob.”  Right.  Obviously, liking someone is only part of the story when deciding to hire them.  The rest of this person’s character could have been revealed be a criminal background check from a reputable source.  By saving a few dollars, or saving his lazy ass a few calories by not properly researching his options, this president allowed a criminal to work in a position of trust.

It will be obvious to any intelligent person that in this instance, the lost trust toward the president of this condo association and any future building manager he hires will be far harder to replace than the over $12,000 worth of items that were stolen.  Had he conducted a criminal records search from a  reputable online company, he could have saved himself this stain on his reputation.

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Maine Offers New Employment Background Check Portal

March 17th, 2011

Employers and organizations can conduct a quick, easy, and thorough background check using the state of Maine’s new One Stop Background Check online service. Sponsored by the Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the service is available through the state’s official website, www.Maine.gov.

The One Stop Background Check provides a combined search of multiple official state databases such as Maine crash reports, Maine public criminal history records, Maine driver history records, and the Maine sex offender registry. Instead of searching multiple databases for various checks on an individual, businesses can now conduct one simple search in one complete database, and obtain a consolidated report on an individual.

“Consolidating the services into one search and report will make the background check process more convenient for employers,” noted Matt Ruel, Director of the State Bureau of Identification. “People still have the option to look up records through separate online services, but with the One Stop Background Check, they only need to enter search information once and will receive a complete report.”

Background check results ordered through the online service are typically delivered to the customer via email in a consolidated electronic report. The service is expected to be useful for employers, investigators, day care providers, and a variety of other businesses or providers who perform background checks.

Statutory fees are charged for the records where applicable, as well as a $10 premium service fee for the One Stop service. An InforME subscription account is required in order to access the One Stop service.

“Not only does this service provide convenience, but users can be confident in the accuracy and timeliness of the data they receive, as it comes straight from the official databases of the Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles,” says Clarissa Hurley, Online Services Branch Manager for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

InforME, the State of Maine’s Internet portal, developed this online service at the request of Maine businesses surveyed in an extensive user needs analysis in fall 2009. The service was developed at no cost to Maine taxpayers, and enhances the popular suite of online business services available through Maine.gov. Other online business services include driver and title record checks, over limit transport permits, corporate searches and UCC filings. More than 1,400 online government services are available through www.Maine.gov.

About Maine.gov

Maine.gov (http://www.Maine.gov) is the official Web portal of the state of Maine and a repeat winner in the Center for Digital Government’s “Best of the Web” competition. Maine.gov is a service of InforME, a collaborative effort between the state of Maine and Maine Information Network, LLC., part of the NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) family of companies.

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Grandparents Need to be Careful of The Latest Phone Scam

March 16th, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS  — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says the scam involves someone making a fake call to a grandparent and pretending to be in trouble.

Jim Arlt is with the departments Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement division. He said grandparents need to exercise caution if they receive a call from an alleged “grandchild” requesting money for an urgent situation.

Arlt said typically in the scam, the caller will claim they need funds wired immediately to cover the cost of a vehicle crash, an arrest or medical needs.

The caller also urges the grandparent not to tell their parents, but Arlt said that’s the first thing you should do.

Arlt offers tips to grandparents and family members on how to avoid being taken by the popular “grandchild-in-trouble” scheme.

  • Make sure of the caller’s identity
  • Verify the location of the family member by calling another family member
  • Resist the pressure to act quickly

NewsRadio 830 WCCO’s Susie Jones Reports

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